


Damage

by ottermo



Series: As Prompted [15]
Category: Humans (TV)
Genre: F/M, fanworks challenge
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-10
Updated: 2017-03-10
Packaged: 2018-10-02 00:02:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,112
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10203872
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ottermo/pseuds/ottermo
Summary: Fill #25 for 'the' Humans fanwork challenge on tumblr. Mattie is working as Doctor Morrow's research assistant, and it's all going to plan at first.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Just transferring these fills from tumblr, because I never did it at the time! 
> 
> This one is a bit Leotilda-y so I tagged the ship, but don't get your hopes up too high, lol. Also, it was written long before series 2 aired (we just had some character names, which I drizzled liberally over my fills) so it's nothing to do with Mattie's actual storyline.

 

They’re trying to run her off the road.

At first, Mattie’d been convinced it was just paranoia. She’s been undercover for a few weeks as Doctor Morrow’s research assistant, taking over from the usual one, who’d had difficulties leaving the US due to issues with her passport (thanks, Niska). Although Mattie was pretty good at playing it cool, every time anything slightly unusual happened, there was that split-second of terror, the bonechilling possibility that she’d been found out. So when the black van first loomed large in her rear-view mirror, she thought first: I’m being followed, and second: No, I’m not. Everything’s fine.

After all, she’s driven home every day for seven weeks without anyone following her. It would be pretty bad luck that they suddenly decided to on the day she managed to get the files.

So she’d carried on driving, not speeding up or changing her route or doing anything that might make another driver think she was nervous. For a while, a few other vehicles had come between her and the van - it must just be a coincidence that they were driving the same way. The sun was shining, birds were probably singing in the trees for her to hear if she wound down a window, she had the files for Leo, everything was fine. 

That was on the main road, with other cars all around them, overtaking and indicating and _watching_. 

But then Mattie had turned off onto a smaller lane, empty of vehicles. 

Except for two.

And although she’d told herself, silently at first but then under her breath, that there was nothing to worry about, the van had kept gaining on her, getting closer and closer. She’d sped up, kept close to the side, allowing the other driver as much room as she could to get past if that was what they wanted, but they’d stayed just behind her, much too close for comfort. Even if she hadn’t been secretly working towards her (very influential, possibly maniacal) employer’s downfall and constantly under threat of discovery, Mattie would have been worried by that point. 

Then they’d drawn up next to her, and started swerving.

Small at first, just little zig-zags teetering closer, but now they’re bigger movements, concerted efforts, and Mattie’s forced closer and closer to the edge of the road, until the split-second where she has to choose, either to let them crash into her or to drive into the ditch.

She chooses the ditch. The car topples. There is no time to choose anything else. 

* * *

Nothing hurts too badly. That’s all she recognises for the first few seconds after impact, but it’s definitely a good thing, she decides. The car’s not vertical by any means, so she manages to throw open her door and half-climb, half-scramble out, landing with a soft squelch in the boggy surface of the ditch. There is no sign of the black van. Were they just trying to scare her?

It’s worked, Mattie realises, but not for long. 

She surveys the damage - she’s not a total expert, but it doesn’t look too bad, if only it can be rescued somehow from the ditch. She ought to call the insurance cover people, obviously, but tell them what? She’s going to need to come up with an explanation for driving into the ditch that doesn’t involve Mysterious Black Vans and Dangerous Secret Operations. 

Still breathing fast and suddenly aware of how fast her heart is beating, Mattie registers a need to _calm down_ , and her hand twitches toward her phone. It won’t even give a dialling tone for her mother, so her phone must be switched off for a day in court. There’s no way she’s calling her dad, who still thinks she’s working part-time at the supermarket to help with uni fees, and has no idea what she’s actually been up to lately. Toby knows, but he’ll be at college, and he can’t do anything to help her. 

It’s going to have to be Leo.

He answers on the second ring. “Hello. Mattie?”

Until he says her name she’s kidding herself that she can report the incident as though it’s nothing, but suddenly she’s taking this strange gasp of breath that isn’t a sob exactly, but it must sound similar because he says it again, but urgently this time, “Mattie? What’s happened?” 

Mortified at losing it, even momentarily, Mattie takes another, steadier breath and says, “Nothing, I’m OK. Just…might have driven my car into a ditch.”

“What?” he says, and she can almost see him screwing his face into a frown. “Why?”

“Not out of _choice_ ,” Mattie replies, and feels instantly better just being able to stress that one syllable. “I was being followed from work. I thought maybe they knew, about Athena’s files, but I don’t think they did. They didn’t try to get them off me, just made sure I knew they were on to me.”

“Where are you?”

“What? I’m– on the way home.”

He huffs. “Obviously. Where? I’ll come and get you.” 

“You don’t have to–”

“Send me your location.” 

Mattie groans inwardly. This is exactly what she wanted, _naturally_ , for him to have to drive over here and sort her out, because she’s obviously _incapable_ and he should have _realised_ she would never be able to cut this undercover malarkey… “I’m fine, Leo.” 

“If you’re fine, why did you phone me?”

It’s a good question.

“I just…” _wanted to hear someone’s voice, but that’s too pathetic to admit, next please?_   “I just wanted to tell you I got the files.”

There’s a silence. For a second she allows herself to believe he’s impressed. Then, “All of them?”

“Yes,” she says, fast, prickly already. “Like you said, they were split between all eight drives, and today I finally got into the last one.” Which had been _hell,_ because the eighth drive was only accessible from Athena’s personal computer, and the woman _never left it alone_. Except for five minutes this afternoon, which Mattie had spent furiously searching for the files, painfully aware every second that she might be discovered. 

“Did you wipe them, or take copies?”

“Copies. I thought we agreed wiping would draw too much attention.”

“We did.”

“Well then. Copies.” 

Another pause his end, and Mattie rolls her eyes, wondering why she’s so bothered about impressing him when all he ever seems to do is cross-check her. 

“Send me your location,” he says again. Before she can argue, he adds, “I’m coming to get you. We can sort the car first, and then….celebrate later.” 

And even if his definition of _celebrate_ is nothing close to hers, Mattie’s grinning even before he says, “Well done.” 

 


End file.
